Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In this episode of Heritage Türkiye, we speak with Professor Martin Stokes, King Edward Professor of Music at King’s College London, a leading ethnomusicologist of Turkish and West Asian music and a council member of the British Institute at Ankara (BIAA). Beginning with the story of his appearance on Turkish television playing bağlama as a PhD student, the conversation reflects on his wide-ranging and influential scholarship, including the “arabesk debate”, the development of musical genres in the region, the politics of popular culture and the towering figure of Zeki Müren. He also reflects on the changes and continuities he has observed since first working in Türkiye in 1981, making a compelling case for the importance of studying music and cultural production to better understand the region. The episode concludes with his ERC/UKRI-funded project, Beyond 1932, which explores the sonic legacies of the 1932 Cairo Congress of Arab Music, attended by a delegation from Türkiye.
Resources:
- Martin Stokes, The Arabesk Debate: Music and Musicians in Modern Turkey. Oxford University Press Inc, 1992.
- Martin Stokes, The Republic of Love: Cultural Intimacy in Turkish Popular Music. University of Chicago Press, 2010.
- Martin Stokes, Music and Citizenship. Oxford University Press, 2023.
- Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul. Director: Fatih Akin, 2005.
- Love, Deutschmarks and Death. Director: Cem Kaya, 2022.
- Martin Stokes, Media and Other Archaeologies in Southeast Anatolia: The Case of Enver Demirbağ. Égypte Soudan Mondes Arabes, 2025: 26.
In this episode of Heritage Türkiye, we speak with Professor Martin Stokes, King Edward Professor of Music at King’s College London, a leading ethnomusicologist of Turkish and West Asian music and a council member of the British Institute at Ankara (BIAA). Beginning with the story of his appearance on Turkish television playing bağlama as a PhD student, the conversation reflects on his wide-ranging and influential scholarship, including the “arabesk debate”, the development of musical genres in the region, the politics of popular culture and the towering figure of Zeki Müren. He also reflects on the changes and continuities he has observed since first working in Türkiye in 1981, making a compelling case for the importance of studying music and cultural production to better understand the region. The episode concludes with his ERC/UKRI-funded project, Beyond 1932, which explores the sonic legacies of the 1932 Cairo Congress of Arab Music, attended by a delegation from Türkiye.
Resources:
- Martin Stokes, The Arabesk Debate: Music and Musicians in Modern Turkey. Oxford University Press Inc, 1992.
- Martin Stokes, The Republic of Love: Cultural Intimacy in Turkish Popular Music. University of Chicago Press, 2010.
- Martin Stokes, Music and Citizenship. Oxford University Press, 2023.
- Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul. Director: Fatih Akin, 2005.
- Love, Deutschmarks and Death. Director: Cem Kaya, 2022.
- Martin Stokes, Media and Other Archaeologies in Southeast Anatolia: The Case of Enver Demirbağ. Égypte Soudan Mondes Arabes, 2025: 26.
